Coffin-fastener



(No l.)

B. VAN EUR J. E.- LATHE.

COFFIN TENER. No. 409,436. Patented. Aug. 20, 1889.

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BERT VAN HORN, OF ONEIDA, AND JAMES LATHE, OF VERNON, NE\V YORK.

COFFIN-FASTENER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 409,436, dated August20, 1889.

Application filed April 15, 1889. Serial No.307, 217. (N0 model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, BERT VAN HORN, of Oneida, in the county of Madison,and JAMES E. LATHE, of Vernon, in the county of Oneida, in the State ofNew York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Casket-LidFasteners, of which the following, taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings, is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to the class of casketlid fasteners in which akey or catch-pin pivoted to the lid enters a slotted plate secured tothe top of the casket-body, and by turning said key it is caused tointerlock with the under side of said slotted plate; and the inventionconsists in an improved construction and combination of the componentsof thelid-fastener, as hereinafter fully described, and specifically setforth in the claims.

I11 the annexed drawings, Figure 1 is a Vertieal transverse section of aportion of aburialcasket and its lid provided with ourimproved fastener.Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the aforesaid portion of the casket-body.Fig. 3 is an inverted plan View of the aforesaid portion of the lid.Fig. at is a vertical longitudinal section on line as to, Fig. 2. Fig. 5isa detached inverted plan view of the slotted catch-plate, and Fig. 6is a detached perspective view of the plate to which the T-headed catchis pivoted.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

C represents the casket-body, and D the lid thereof. In the top of theside walls of said body, and at two or more places of said top, arecountersunk metallic plates A, which are elongated lengthwise of thecasket and are fastened by screws passing vertically through the platesand into the walls of the casket. These plates are each formed with alongitudinal slot f extending through one end thereof, and all of saidplates are disposed w ith the open ends of the slots toward one and thesame end of the casket. The back or under side of the slotted end ofeach plate A is formed with lugs ZZ, for the purpose hereinafterexplained, and the outer edges of the plate are formed with pendent lipsn 07, extending from the lugs Z Ztoward the opposite end of the plate.I11 front of the open end of the slot f is a groove 72, formed in thetop of the casket-wall,

which groove is inclined toward the aforesaid slot and is extended underthe plate A a short distance beyond the closed end of the slot, and iswidened immediately back of the lugs Z Z, as shown at h.

In the under side of the lid D is countersunk and fastened by screws themetal plate B,to which is pivoted a key a. The lower end of this key isformed with a T-shaped head or catch d, and to the upper end of the saidkey is rigidly attached a handle 6.

The plate 13 is formed with a segmental notch Z) in the edge adjacent tothe outer edge of the lid, said notch being concentric with the pivot aand terminating with shoulders c c, which serve as stops for limitingthe movement of the handle or lever a, which is extended downwardthrough the notch 19 and beneath the plate B,so as to be convenient ofaccess for manipulation.

The operation of our improved lid-fastener is as follows: To apply thelid to the casketbody, the handles or levers e are to be turned to setthe T-heads d of the pivoted keys parallel with the walls of theaforesaid body. Then by placing the lid upon the body 0 so as to set theT-heads d in the grooves 7L and sliding the lid endwise to carry thesaid heads toward the adjacent plates Athe heads enter the slots f andpass under the plates. The closed ends of said slots arrest theaforesaid sliding movement of the lid, and then by turning the handle e:e the T-heads (Z are caused to stand transversely of the slots f andthus engage the under sides of the plates A. The enlargement h of theslot 7L allows the said turning of the T-heads, and when so turned thelugs Z I prevent said heads from being drawn out from under the plate Athrough the open end of the slot thereof. For removing the lid from thecasket the aforesaid operation is reversed.

Having described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. In combination with the body C, lid D,

and T-headed key (6, pivoted to the lid, the

plate A, having the longitudinal slot f extending through one endthereof and formed with the lugs Z Z on the back of said end andrespectively at opposite sides of the slot, substantially as describedand shown.

2. In combination with the body 0, lid D, the aforesaid lugs,substantially as described and T-headed key (1, pivoted to said lid, theand shown. plate A, attached to the body, and having the In testimonywhereof we have hereunto slot f extending through one end of the platesigned our names this 9th day of April, 1889.

5 and formed at the under side of said end with T i the lugs Z Z andpendent lips 01 n, and the groove h, formed in the top of thecasket-wall in front of the open end of the slot f, and ex- Vitnesses:tending part Way under the plate and terlni- V. E. NORTHRUP,

10 nating with the widened portion 71/ back of B. B.MERENESS.

